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Detective Roman Maier receives the 2024 Partners in Justice Award for his outstanding service and dedication to victims, survivors, and the community. Maier is praised by Lutheran Community Services Northwest for his empathy and commitment when working with families at the Child Advocacy Center. Pictured with the award, Maier stands alongside representatives from the Victim Advocacy team, who expressed their gratitude for his contributions....
MultiCare's Inland Northwest Foundation has appointed Korin Michielli as its new executive director. Michielli, who began her role on Dec. 2, will oversee philanthropic efforts to support MultiCare's healthcare initiatives in the Inland Northwest region. As executive director, Michielli will lead the foundation's fundraising efforts in alignment with MultiCare's healthcare priorities. Her responsibilities include developing comprehensive plans to meet annual and long-term...
SPOKANE VALLEY – A local woman is in custody after allegedly attacking her neighbor with a two-foot sword in an unprovoked and violent incident. The assault occurred on Dec. 20 at an apartment complex in the 200 block of South Adams Road around 7:50 a.m. Deputies arrived quickly to find the suspect, 43-year-old Elizabeth S. Ptacek, struggling with her neighbor over the sword on a narrow second-floor walkway. Two teenagers were nearby, unable to escape the danger. A deputy d...
While this article summarizes the important details from the hearing examiner's decision and Councilman Merkel's response, further reporting will look into additional details and opinions from involved parties to provide a broader account of the situation. SPOKANE VALLEY – An investigation into City Councilman Al Merkel's conduct has led the City Council to unanimously censure him at a special meeting on Dec. 19. The investigation, confirmed by a third-party hearing e...
LIBERTY LAKE – A hit-and-run incident on Dec. 21 escalated into an officer-involved shooting near Wellesley and Malvern Road. Liberty Lake Police responded around 1 p.m. to reports of a driver who had struck vehicles and damaged property with rocks. When officers found the suspect, he tried to enter another vehicle. When law enforcement ordered him to stop, a confrontation occurred, leading to the officer discharging their weapon. The male suspect was shot, restrained, and transported to a hospital, where he remains in s...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The Spokane International Airport Rail-Truck Transload Center has achieved a significant milestone by being designated as a Certified Site by Burlington Northern Santa Fee Railway, as announced Dec. 17. This certification is part of railroad’s Site Certification Program, which identifies prime rail-served locations and evaluates them against ten economic development criteria to ensure readiness and minimize risks for potential customers. Ezra Eckhardt, Chair of the Spokane Airport Board, expressed gratitude f...
As Washingtonians take a welcome year-end break to spend time with family and celebrate Christmas, our state’s political leaders are hard at work drafting the agenda for the upcoming legislative session. The Legislature doesn’t meet formally until Jan. 13, but the governor’s budget proposal, a list of 215 pre-filed bills, and a curious leaked e-mail give us hints of what some lawmakers are planning. Tax collections are up and there is ample revenue to fund government servi...
When Jay Inslee first successfully ran for governor in 2012, he told Washington voters – and here’s the quote – he “would veto anything that heads the wrong direction, and the wrong direction is new taxes in the state of Washington.” Once Inslee took office, his pledge to not raise taxes was quickly broken. In fact, our outgoing guv has routinely called for tax hikes of one type or another. For years, I’ve said Inslee “never met a tax increase he didn’t like.” Now, with his final term as governor ending in less than a month...
BASKETBALL Eastern scores dominating win over Lincoln CHENEY — Eastern Washington ended a two game losing streak and a span of games with two wins in their last 10 with a 107-63 win over Lincoln University of Oakland, Calif. While the offense was obvious it was defense that stood out in the second half, as the Eagles outscored the Oaklanders 48-22. “Offensively, scoring 107 points despite struggling from beyond the arc shows the depth of this team,” head coach Dan Monson said. “We’re in a good place offensively, but we st...
President-elect Donald Trump is claiming a special mandate by winning the popular vote, though only by a little over 2 million (1.5%; and getting below 50% of total popular vote) compared to President Joe Biden’s winning margin of about 7 million (4%; 51%) over Trump in 2020. If the electoral college had already been scrapped, would the popular vote have been significantly changed by the candidates campaigning in all states, not just battleground ones? Why did Washington state have its’ lowest turnout in 28 years? Why was...
The Cheney boys wrestling team had a pair of statement wins last week. The Blackhawks won their second Greater Spokane League match 41-29 over Central Valley, Dec. 18 and followed that effort with the win at the West Valley Wrestle Rama Dual, Dec. 20 with a 40-38 decision. Trailing 38-34 going into their last match, Cheney’s Alex Kurakin got the pin for the win at 113 pounds. Cheney earned four convincing wins to get to the title match, East Valley 59-17, Freeman 55-21, Ridgeline 56-23 ad host West Valley 62-16. Going 5-0 o...
BASKETBALL Huskies’ second-half surge secures win SEATTLE — Eastern Washington stayed with the University of Washington until just after halftime when the Huskies went on a 13-2 run that sealed an 87-69 non-conference basketball victory, Dec. 10 at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Eagles kept the Big-10 Conference Huskies within reach throughout the entire first half as the lead never got into double-digits. But starting at the 18 minute, 5 second mark of the second half Washington slowly (7-3) put the game out of reach. “We are f... Full story
OLYMPIA – A new bill introduced by Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, seeks to boost public safety by increasing the number of police officers across Washington. Holy's proposal, Senate Bill 5060, asks for $100 million to create a grant program, to help local and tribal governments hire police officers. The funding would come from the state general fund. "Crime is a growing problem in our state," said Holy. "Washington ranks among the worst states in several categories, including m...
SPOKANE – A Spokane Valley woman has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison for illegally distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl. Shannon Ray Ault, 38, was sentenced on Dec. 17 by U.S. District Judge Mary K. Dimke. In addition to her prison sentence of 10 years, Ault will serve five years of supervised release. According to court documents, Ault was caught in February of this year when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted a “controlled buy” of two pounds of methamphetamine. The o...
SPOKANE VALLEY – Councilman Al Merkel advocated for a greater share of cannabis tax revenue for Spokane Valley during the special 2025 legislative preparation session of the council meeting this Tuesday evening. Under current law, only 5% of statewide cannabis tax revenue is distributed to cities and counties. Spokane Valley supports increasing the local portion to 20%. “We join other communities in supporting a 20% increase in direct distribution to cities and counties,” Merkel announced. He clarified, stating, “We’r...
It’s as simple as X and Y. The question of whether boys should be participating in girls sports in our state may finally be addressed by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association next spring. Among proposed amendments to the organization’s athletic code are proposed rule amendments that relating to so-called “transgender” competitors. The proposals will be introduced to the 53-member assembly during its annual meeting Jan. 27. One amendment would limit participation in girls sport to “students assigned female at...
Local teen reported missing SPOKANE VALLEY – The Spokane Valley Police Department and Spokane County Sheriff's Office are asking the public to assist in locating 14-year-old Lydia S. Decker. Decker is a runaway that has been deemed at-risk due to her mental health history and behavior. Decker's family reported her missing and expressed concerns about her safety. They mentioned that she has a history of crisis treatment, threats of self-harm, and assaultive behavior. A...
In the aftermath of the catastrophic fire which gutted Paris’ Cathedral of Notre Dame in 2019, President Emmanuel Macron announced it would be rebuilt within five years and promised it would be “more beautiful than before!” Macron, who remains head of a divided French government, saw restoration of the 13th Century church as a way to restore national pride and unite fellow French citizens. When interviewed just before Notre Dame’s massive doors re-opened on Dec. 7, Macron...
If Washington state elected officials and energy planners need to be reminded of the risks of increasing reliance on wind-generated electricity, they can look to the week-and-a-half after Thanksgiving. Starting on the night before Thanksgiving, the amount of electricity generated by wind power in the BPA system across the northwest collapsed, falling to zero megawatts around midnight. Generation remained extremely low until midday on Dec. 7, more than nine days later. During t...
SPOKANE VALLEY – Councilwoman Laura Padden presented Spokane Valley’s request to clarify document recording fee distribution at the Dec. 17 meeting. These fees support housing and homelessness programs, with a portion returned to cities and counties. “30% of that revenue is then returned back to the county, where the fees are generated,” said Padden. “Unless a city within that area takes on the responsibility for the housing and homeless programs within their boundaries.” Padden explained that a 2023 legislative change crea...
SPOKANE VALLEY – Councilman Ben Wick stressed the need for improvements at the Barker Road/Interstate 90 interchange during the Dec. 17 special legislative agenda council meeting. The city is asking for $1 million in state funding for design work. Wick noted the significant congestion at the interchange, especially during rush hour. “There’s tremendous growth in residential and commercial areas, and traffic is often at a dead standstill,” he said. He noted that regional factors like Liberty Lake and the other neighbo...
SPANGLE — Freeman opened with seven consecutive wins and scored a 52-21 NE2B wrestling win at Liberty, Dec. 17. Michael Valente started with a 17-7 win over Liberty’s Coleman Green at 215 pounds. The Scotties’ Quinten Malone pinned Chance Degon in 1 minute, 54 seconds at 113 pounds and Bearret Murphey followed suit with his pin of Riqee Cervantes in 1:39. Quincy Paxton took 1:53 to score his win by another pin over Jeremiah Perry. Four of the other Freeman victories in that opening run were by forfeits at the 285, 106, 120 a...
SPOKANE — The University girls wrestling team dominated a GSL league mix-and-match at Rogers High School on Dec. 12. University amassed 124.5 team points to win the team title. East Valley and Ridgeline tied for 10th with 22.0 points. University was led by champions Olivia Vignere at 120A, Mariah Denney at 130A, Samara Wienstock at 140A and Paitynn Hammond at 170B. Girls finishing second included Lily Cunningham at 110A, Korie Giese at 125C, Kendra Kane at 140A and Helora Agrippa at 155C. East Valley only had two girls in t...
SPOKANE COUNTY – The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and Spokane Valley Police Department received a grant valued at $19,647 to improve officer safety, officials announced in a press release on Dec. 16. The grant, awarded by the Spirit of Blue Foundation, provides 131 Guardian Angel Elite Series LED safety lights. These high-powered, hands-free lights offer 360-degree visibility and can be seen from over five miles away. According to officials, these lights will make deputies and K9s safer, particularly in rural, low...
SPOKANE — Eastern Washington Track and Field kicked off its 2024-25 indoor season at the Spokane Invitational, breaking three school records in the process at The Podium powered by STCU. “All you want to do is come out and compete the first meet,” said Director of Track and Field / Cross Country Erin Tucker. Caitlin Simmons — who goes by Egypt — and Maddy Shekhawat stole the spotlight, combining for a remarkable three school records. Simmons broke her own indoor long jump record with a leap of 6.12 meters (20 feet, 1 inch) a...
